Broadway Performer Returns to CCHS
Halli Toland from the Class of 2013 visited Central Catholic Glee Club students and spoke about her experience working on Broadway and as a Jet girl in the upcoming Steven Spielberg adaptation of the musical West Side Story.
Halli majored in musical theater at the University of Michigan. After graduation, she moved to New York and went directly to performing on Broadway, appearing in Carousel, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Cats.
In Carousel, Halli was a swing, which meant she was a member of the company who understudies several chorus and/or dancing roles. If an understudy fills in for a lead role, a swing acts the parts normally performed by the understudy. The swing role required Halli to know 12 unique parts because she was called on to cover for several different performers throughout the run of the show.
In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Halli had her first principal role as Veruca Salt, the spoiled child touring the chocolate factory along with Charlie and the others.
Halli was involved in filming the new West Side Story in Brooklyn. She said it was different from appearing on Broadway because they don’t go through the entire story at once, but they perform sections at a time and film from different angles. Many Broadway stars are in the movie, and Rita Moreno, who played Anita in the 1961 film, also has a role.
When Halli was a student at Central Catholic, she played a crow in The Wizard of Oz, and had lead roles in Pajama Game and Anything Goes. She wanted to come back to talk to current students because she is very grateful for CCHS and says she would never have made it to where she is today without the experiences she had in high school.
She spoke with Glee Club students about the process of auditioning for roles, explained a variety of theater terms, and gave advice about theater protocols, rehearsing, and choosing the best path to follow your interests and have success.
Halli said her ultimate goals are to have a starring role on Broadway and then to work her way into television comedy. Deb Barrow, Central Catholic’s musical director, said her ultimate goal for Halli is to see her win a Tony award!
